Series 2 - Lesson 11 - Annotation 11
What is "the day of judgment" and where is the "judgment seat"?
11. The "day of judgment" is not a specific date, because every day is a judgment day; each thought, feeling, and action brings its own judgment. We can think of the day of judgment as the time of fruition, the instant when the effect of some cause or causes in consciousness has reached its maturity — or in other words, the instant when past thinking has produced its result in mind, body, or affairs, whether good or bad.
The following quotation from Charles Fillmore The Twelve Powers of Man 43 - 44, has some interesting points on the "great day of judgment":
"The 'great day of judgment' — which has been located at some fateful time in the future when we all shall be called before the judge of the world and have punishment meted out to us for our sins — is every day. The translators of the Authorized Version and of the American Standard Version of the New Testament are responsible for the 'great judgment day' bugaboo. In every instance where judgment was mentioned by Jesus, He said 'in a day of judgment,' but the translators changed a to the, making the time of judgment appear a definite point in the future, instead of the repeated consummations of causes that occur in the lives of individuals and nations."
The "judgment seat" is the term used to indicate the "place" in man that is occupied by the law of man's being, the spiritual law of life called the I AM or the Christ. Man's thoughts, feelings, words, and acts are continually being set before this Presence in man to determine if they are in harmony with Truth and if they can bring forth fruits in accordance with God's law of Absolute Good. Our Scripture puts it this way: "By their fruits, ye shall know them" (Matt. 7:20).
When we become consciously aware of the inner spiritual activity and are open and receptive to its guidance, our consciousness can be trained and guided in the right and wise use of the faculty of judgment. We will learn to estimate, weigh, and measure the quality of all our thoughts, feelings, words, deeds, and we will see that they are in harmony with the highest good for ourself and for all creation. We will be able to discern (judge) for ourself where in the past we failed to comply with the law of our being (I AM, Christ) and thus brought about conditions in our outer life that were not harmonious. When we learn to make the right use of our judgment faculty, a new way of life opens for us, a new way of thinking and feeling, of speaking and acting — a way of righteous judgment.
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Preceding Entry: Explain the Scripture, "Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors" (Matt. 6:12).
Following Entry: What results follow resistance to judgment? What is chastening?
